CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

42.32° N · 85.52° W · GEOID 2617690

Comstock Northwest

Kalamazoo County, Michigan · part of the Kalamazoo, MI metro

MichiganComstock Northwest, MIComstock NorthwestComstock Northwest

The short answer

Comstock Northwest is home to 5,391 people. Median household income is $73,475 a year and median rent is $1,080 a month, 17.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $261,100, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Comstock Northwest stands out for what is close at hand. OpenStreetMap shows 0 parks per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 95% of places its size. It is the lowest of 176 Michigan places we track. Also notable: Home value growth is 12.2% a year, against 9.2% a year in its closest peers.

61OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Comstock Northwest scores better than 61% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 79th of 176 in Michigan.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%65
Economy 20%40
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%32
Education 10%62
Commute 10%84
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,080
21% below the median place
Median household income
$73,475
8% below the median place
Median home value
$261,100
18% below the median place
Unemployment
5.5%
13% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

01

Moving to Comstock Northwest

Kalamazoo County loses about 1.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,203
Moved out10,559
Net−356

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Van Buren County, MI906907−1
Kent County, MI506691−185

Within Michigan, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MichiganOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$65K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Kalamazoo County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.1% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.7% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Kalamazoo County report $58,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $65,400, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$43,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,080 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,522 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $261,100.
Getting to work
19 minutes each way on average; 10.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Union Grove, WI matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.1%
46% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$58,460
17% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.7%
15% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureComstock NorthwestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.1%46% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.7%15% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-1.7183% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$58,46017% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$65,3717% below
02

What it costs to live here

47% of homes are owner-occupied, fewer than in 93% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track.

Comstock Northwest17.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$43,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.6%
14% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
7% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$61,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Comstock Northwest, $1,080 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Comstock Northwest, but easier on the budget

Places that match Comstock Northwest on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Union Grove, WI8612.8% vs 17.6%$34,900Compare
Plover, WI8214.8% vs 17.6%n/aCompare
Jasper, IN8014.1% vs 17.6%n/aCompare
Port Washington, WI7914.8% vs 17.6%$10,100Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Comstock Northwest.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Comstock Northwest? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
46.5%
30% below the median place
Median year built1
1992
1% above the median place
Property tax rate1
1.4%
54% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureComstock NorthwestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,08021% below
Rent to income117.6%14% below
Property tax rate11.4%54% above
Home price to income13.5x7% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure94.86% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,15828% below
HUD area median income4County figure$108,1001% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,66612% above
Median home value1$261,10018% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%18% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure51.0%1% below
Homeownership146.5%30% below
Renters paying 30%+145.2%11% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,52219% below
Vacant homes1County figure6.8%4% below
Median year built119921% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 130 hours a year commuting, less than in 78% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track.

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
19 min
22% below the median place
Poverty rate1
6.8%
36% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home10.8% −13%
Income per person$43,838 +9%
Median household income$73,475 −8%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureComstock NorthwestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$73,4758% below
Income per person1$43,8389% above
Unemployment1County figure5.5%13% above
Average annual pay6County figure$68,2924% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.9%5% above
Jobs6County figure122,11919% below
Poverty rate16.8%36% below
Mean commute119 min22% below
Works from home110.8%13% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Households average 2.01 people, smaller than than in 93% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

Household size1
2.0
20% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
83.8%
9% below the median place
Born abroad1
4.9%
45% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance4.9% −23%
Median age41.3 +6%
Bachelor's or higher38.1% +19%
High school or higher93.9% +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureComstock NorthwestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,3916357th largest
Median age141.36% above
Bachelor's or higher138.1%19% above
High school or higher193.9%2% above
Household size12.020% below
Born abroad14.9%45% below
No health insurance14.9%23% below
Homes with broadband183.8%9% below
05

Life in Comstock Northwest

OpenStreetMap shows 9.3 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 96% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 176 Michigan places we track.

58 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k9.3 4.4×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k39.0 3.5×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • North Country Trail 43 miles
  • Indiana Dunes National Park 94 miles
  • Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site 108 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.7 −5%
Shops31.9 +5%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.8 −7%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.1 −5%
Child care centers2.4 +4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
43.3
41% above the median place
Public schools12
91
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students12
34,151
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureComstock NorthwestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure91above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure34,151above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure17.212% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure19.75% below
Shops per 10k8County figure31.95% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.87% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure19.15% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.44% above
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k99.3337% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k939.0249% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1043.341% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10150% below
National Register listings11County figure58346% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 57.1, 37% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Comstock Northwest. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk14
57.1
37% below the median place
Average temperature13
49°F
11% below the median place
January average low13
17°F
33% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureComstock NorthwestAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure83°F4% below
January average low13County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature13County figure49°F11% below
Annual precipitation13County figure37.0 in16% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure81.712% below
Hurricane risk14County figure44.537% below
Tornado risk14County figure93.715% above
Wildfire risk14County figure36.640% below
Heat wave risk14County figure57.137% below
Median air quality index15County figure430% above
Good air days15County figure61.4%10% below
08

Comstock Northwest in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Comstock Northwest does better than 62% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 90%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,080/mo (2024)$1,390/mo$1,140 to $1,690/mo+4.3%
Median household income$73,475 (2024)$93,500$79,000 to $110,500+4.1%
Median home value$261,100 (2024)$389,000$283,000 to $536,000+6.9%

The median home would be worth 4.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Comstock Northwest

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Medina, OH$1,077$77,385Compare
Bridgeton, MO$1,172$72,005Compare
Tonawanda Town, NY$1,102$77,679Compare
White Hall, AR$985$78,092Compare
White Hall, ARTonawanda Town, NYBridgeton, MOMedina, OHComstock Northwest, MIComstock NorthwestMedinaBridgetonTonawanda TownWhite HallComstock NorthwestMedinaBridgetonTonawanda TownWhite Hall

Places built like Comstock Northwest

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Comstock Northwest performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Comstock Northwest, MI17.6%5.4%/yrn/a
Howell, MI23.4%5.5%/yr-1.7%Compare
Talent, OR30.3%9.1%/yr0.1%Compare
Altoona, WI18.2%8.8%/yr13.1%Compare
Elkhorn, WI16.0%7.3%/yr-2.1%Compare
Union Grove, WI12.8%9.8%/yr11.8%Compare
Utica, MI23.1%0.9%/yr-2.3%Compare

Common questions

Is Comstock Northwest a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 61 out of 100, better than 61% of the places we rate and 79th of 176 in Michigan. On cost, space and class size it scores 37 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Comstock Northwest expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $261,100.

What salary do you need to live in Comstock Northwest?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $43,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Comstock Northwest?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Medina, OH, Bridgeton, MO, Tonawanda Town, NY and White Hall, AR.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Comstock Northwest with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Comstock Northwest itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/comstock-northwest-michigan

Citytistics. “Comstock Northwest, Michigan.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/comstock-northwest-michigan/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.